1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to vehicle seats for earth-working machinery such as backhoes, and in particular to means for permitting tilting of the seat about a horizontal transverse axis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adjustable vehicle seats of the prior art include swivel seats, backward and forward shiftable seats, deformable seats which permit raising or lowering of the leading edge of the seat, and vertically adjustable seats. Examples of vehicle seats having the features described above may be found in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,593 issued May 22, 1979, to Swenson, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,507 issued Mar. 29, 1977, to Swenson, and commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 384,035 to Uecker et al. A seat tilting device is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,741 issued May 24, 1983.
Notwithstanding all of the prior art adjustment features, an occupant's safety, comfort and convenience are not completely provided for by such seats in certain circumstances, such as in the operation of a backhoe where the operator must have good vision into the excavation at the rear of the backhoe.